One-man armored tank



y 1944- J. J. BA'LDINE 2,349,535

ONE MAN ARMORED TANK Filed July 27, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inueuiar e/ se vz/ Baiafz'ne Attorney,- I

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor J. J. BALDINE ONE MAN ARMORED TANK Filed July 27, 1942 May 23, 1944.

May 23, 1944. J BALDlNE 2,349,535

ONE MAN ARMORED TANK I Filed July 27, 1942 4 She ets-Sheet s Inventor Jae bk JBa/Zcz've By 2mm.

May 23, 1944. J. J. BALDINE 2,349,535

ONE MAN ARMORED TANK Filed July 27, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I uvento;

Patented May 23, 1944 ONE-MAN ARMORED TANK Joseph J. Baidine, Hubbard, Ohio Applicationlulyfi'l, 1942, Serial No. 452,559

5 Claims. ran-9.2)

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in armored tanks and has for its primary object to provide a tank constructed of a size suitable for accommodatin a single person while in a prone position and providing drive means for the tank controlled by the feet of the person.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a tank including a body structure in which a cushion is positioned upon which the person is adapted to lie, the cushion including an upstanding crotch block adapted for engagement by the crotch of the person to prevent longitudinal movement of the person during the movement of the tank.

A further important object is to provide a body structure for the tank including a transversely curved top having an intermediat sliding section to provide access to the interior of the tank.

A still further object is to provide novel foot control means for the power plant of the engine.

An additional object is to provide a water tight bottom for the tank having a propeller shaft projecting therethrough and in driving engagement with the power plant together with a pivotally supported propeller normally disengaged from the propeller shaft and adapted for movement into engagement therewith for driving the tank in water.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efiicient and reliable in performance, relatively inexpensive to'manufactur and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the propeller showing the same in driving engagement with the propeller shaft.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the bottom of the tank showing the cushion therein.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail of the foot control brake pedals, and V Figure 7 is a similar view of the foot control pedal for the clutch and throttle of the power plant.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates the body of the tank generally which includes a bottom portion 6 of water tight construction and a top portion 1, the latter being curved transversely and includes an intermediate section 8 slidably mounted on its edges longitudinally of the body to provide access to the interior of the tank.

The side walls of the body converg toward the front end thereof in the form of a V-shaped front end 9 having a gun Ill mounted therein on a ball and socket construction ll, immediately above I to the body of a person M when lyin in a prone position on the pad, th pad including an upstanding crotch block l5 adapted for positioning at the crotch of the person for engagement thereby to prevent longitudinal sliding movement of the person in the tank during its travel over the ground. The body of the tank is adapted to travel on an endless flexible track l6 of conventional construction at each side of the body and includes an intermediate drive sprocket wheel ll and front and rear end sprocket wheels l8 and IS. A conventional form of belt tightener 20 is provided for the rear sprocket wheel IS.

The sprocket wheels are supported in a frame designated generally at 2| which is inclined upwardly at its front end to support the front end of the body in an elevated position as shown to ad vantage in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings.

Within the body adjacent the rear end thereof is a fire wall 2| forming a motor compartment 23 in the rear portion of the body in which is mounted the power plant 24 of conventional construction for driving the intermediate sprocket wheel IT.

The power plant includes a conventional form of fluid controlled clutch and transmission mechanism designated generally at 25 connected to a U-shaped foot pedal 26 by means of a rod 21. The foot pedal 26 is pivoted at its bight portion as at 28 with the legs 29 and 30 of the pedal arranged in spaced superposed relation as shown to advantage in Figure 7 of the drawings, the leg 29 having an upstanding pedal plate 3i and the leg 39 having a downwardly extending pedal plate 32 adapted for engagement by the heel and toe, respectively, of one foot of the person. The pivotal action of the pedal will control the speed of the power plant for driving the tank at the desired rate of speed.

Each *drlve wheel I! at the opposite sides of the tank is provided with a brake designated at 33 in Figure 3 of the drawings controlled by master hydraulic brake cylinders 34 and 35.

The brake cylinder 34 is actuated by a lower L- shaped foot pedal 38 pivoted as at 31 and the brake cylinder .35 is controlled by an upper L- shaped pedal 38 also pivoted as at 31.

Each of the foot pedals 36 and 38 include a pivoted extension 39 and 48, respectively, the extension 38 engaging astop 4i carried by the pedal 36 to limit its downward movement and the extension 40 being engageable with a stop 42 carried by the pedal 38 to limit its upward movement. ,A coil spring 43 connects the pedal 36 with its extension 39 to urge the extension in its lowermost position and a coil spring 44 connects the extension 40 with its pedal 38 to urge the extension in its raised position.

The pedal 38 is arranged in a position immediately above the pedal 36 so that the pedal 38 may be engaged by the heel of the person while the pedal 36 will be engaged by the toe thereof for manipulating the brakes at the opposite side of the tank in a desired manner, and thus control steering thereof.

When it is desired to control the vehicle by hand a lever 45 is attached to the pedal 26 by means of a pin 46 detachably engaging the upper leg 29 of the pedal and a notch 41 on the lower end of the lever engageable with a pin 48 carried by the lower leg 30 of the pedal. A similar detachable lever 49 is provided for the brake pedals 36 and 38. The flywheel 50 of the power plant is provided with a ring gear with which a gear 52 is engaged, the gear 52 being secured at one end of a shaft 53 mounted in-a bushing or bearing 54 in the bottom of the tank and projecting therefrom with a friction disk 55 at the lower end of the shaft. A propeller shaft 56 is joumaled in a bearing 51 carried by a hinged door 58 mounted in the bottom of the tank, one end of the shaft 56 having a friction disk 59 secured thereto and the other end of the shaft 56 having the propeller 68 secured thereon.

Normally the propeller shaft 56 is disengaged from the shaft 53 when the door 58 is in its raised position, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, and the door 58 may be moved downwardly to an open position by means of a cable 6| leading to a hand 0 erated drum 62 secured to the front side of the re wall 22. .When the door 58 is moved into its open position the disk 59 will engage the disk 55 ,whereby to drive the propeller, the propeller and shaft then being moved into the position as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings.

Normally the propeller 60 is enclosed in a compartment 63 formed in the bottom of the tank at its rear portion.

The rear end of the tank may also be formed with air tight tanks 64 to add buoyancy to the device when traveling in water.

It is believed the details of construction and manner of use of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is: I

1. An armored tank comprising a body, drive means including an endless flexible track at each side of the body, a power drive wheel for each track, a power plant in the rear end of the body, a brake mechanism for each drive wheel, aheel control pedal for the brake mechanism of one drive wheel, and a toe control pedal for the brake mechanism of the other drive wheel, both of said pedals being arranged for actuation by one foot of the person, and. a common pivot member for both of said pedals.

2. An armored tank comprising a body, drive means including an endless flexible track at each side of the body, a power drive wheel for each track, a power plant in the rear'end of the body, a brake mechanism for each drive wheel, a heel control pedal for the brake mechanism of one drive wheel, and a toe control pedal for the brake mechanism of the other drive wheel, both of said pedals being arranged for actuation by one foot of the person, and speed control mechanism for the power plant having foot control means arranged for actuation by the other foot of the person.

3. An armored tank comprising a body, a pad in the bottom of the body at its front end providing a full length cushion for a person in a prone position, and a crotch block rising from the pad adapted for engaging the crotch of the person to restrain longitudinal sliding movement of the person in the body.

4. An armored tank comprising a body, drive means including an endless flexible track at each side of the body, a power drivewheel for each track positioned at a point substantially midway of the front and rear ends of the body, said wheel extending below the bottom of the tank to elevate the body above the lower flights of the tracks, said lower flights of the tracks rearwardly of the wheels traveling'on the ground and supporting the front end of the body in an upwardly inclined position, a transversely curved top for the body including anintermediate section slidably mounted thereon, and a power plant in the rear end of the body counter-balancing the front end thereof. 7

5. An armored tank comprising a body, a power plant in the rear end of the body, a control compartment in the front end of the body adapted to accommodate the driver of the tank, a U- shaped control lever pivoted at its center and arranged with its ends one above the other and 

